I love our pup. I really really do. She’s such a sweet thing. We’ve had her just over a year now and I still can’t believe someone treated her the way they did but I’m at the same time I’m grateful because she’s now a part of our lives It all started with a little visit to the animal shelter “just to look around.” Two days later, we were waiting to hear back from the vet about the mass that was in her neck. They thought it was a broken salivary gland. Not too uncommon in dogs who are chained up according to the vet. He made us a deal for the cost of the surgery and she became ours. Turns out that broken salivary gland was the result of a bullet. Yes, like from a gun. I had to have the vet repeat himself three times til I understood what he was talking about. It took two surgerys but the bullet was removed and her damaged salivary gland removed. Oh she was also spayed that week, so she had 3 surgeries in the first two weeks of coming home to us.

Fast forward to a year later, I take her into the vet for annual visit and find out she tests positive for heartworms. P.S. for those of you adopting a dog, it can take 6 months for a positive heartworm test after they get heartworms! I had no idea. I was so confused when the vet said she had heartworms cause we’ve had her on preventative since we got her! They did x-rays & bloodwork to confirm the diagnosis and the x-ray revealed she has a BB in her back! So the dog has been shot with a gun and a BB gun. Who were these people who had her?! Sigh. How could they have been so mean to this precious face??

Anyway, we dropped her off this morning to start heartworm treatment and decided to spoil her a bit before she had to head off to the vet for 3 days… so she got dog treats with bacon grease in them! I figured she deserves it! She comes home Wednesday and I can’t wait to have her home!

Bacon & Cheddar Dog Treats

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup bacon fat, melted
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
2-3 tsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Flour work surface. Roll dough to 1/4-1/2″ thickness (dough will be greasy/oily but should roll easily). Cut into desired shape.

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (depending upon size). You want them firm but still a little chewy when you take them out of the oven. Cool and store in airtight container.

We’ve had our sweet pup for a year now. Its hard to believe how quickly time flies. We brought her home Febraury 13th last year. Macy was skin & bones. 40 lbs to be exact (click here if you want to see a pic of her skinny itty bitty self taken the day we brought her home). She’s now a happy, healthy 52lb boxer who loves her mama for making her homemade treats Yes, I did just call myself my dog’s mama. It can’t be helped; she’s like my child. She’s my first child even which only makes it worse Oh how spoiled she is! All those homemade treats has given her plenty of chances at perfecting the ‘More Please!’ look! If you’re anything like me, then you have a hard time resisting this adorable face!!

I love making dog treats. First of all, your test subject will eat just about anything! But I enjoy trying new combos of flavors and different types of grains, etc to see what she seems to like more! This time I knew I wanted to create a chewier treat than she normally has. She gets so excited over her normal treats that she practically swallows them whole in an attempt to hurry and get another! I wanted to slow her down, so I began experimenting molasses! It did the trick! She actually spit the treat back out at first like what is this?! Gave it another sniff and proceeded to scarf it down as quickly as she could but these definitely require at least some chewing! haha. They definitely seemed like another winner! She certainly had no complaints!

Banana Oat Dog Treats

2 medium bananas, mashed
1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 c rolled oats
1 tsp molasses
1 large egg
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well. Dough should be soft but easily rolled (depending upon banana size, you may need to add a little flour). Scoop a teaspoon of dough and roll into a ball. Place balls on baking sheet and press flat with fork, criss-crossing horizontally and vertically until cookies are uniform in thickness. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Let cool completely before giving to your dog.

Oh the concentration on that delicious morsel of pumpkin goodness… She couldn’t handle it!

More please? Enough said. Go make these for your special pup and your pup’s pals.

Pumpkin Dog Treats

1 1/2 cup wheat flour
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well. Scoop a teaspoon of dough and roll into a ball. If dough is too sticky, sprinkle with a little flour. Place balls on baking sheet and press flat with fork, criss-crossing horizontally and vertically until cookies are uniform in thickness. Bake for 25- 30 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Let cool completely before giving to your dog.

Yields: ~5 dozen 1″ treats

I introduced our sweet dog awhile back. She really is the greatest dog ever. Does every dog owner say that?? But we really  think so! I still find it hard to believe that she was abandoned (and worse shot! click here for the story) because she’s the sweetest most loving dog ever and she just absolutely adores people and other dogs for that matter.

I enjoy making her dog treats. She LOVES them. Store bought treats don’t stand a chance against homemade ones. She’ll do anything for a taste of these things! Definitely give them a try for your special pooch!

And now for the fun part… For all you dog lovers out there (and kitty lovers). I’ve got a giveaway! I recently purchased two fabulous collars from Lucky Fiona on Etsy. She sells handmade retro inspired custom dog and cat collars. I LOVE our new collars (We have the ChocoBloom and The Style Tile, pictured below)! And so that brings us to the giveaway, one lucky winner will get a Gift Certificate for the Lucky Fiona store for a custom collar of any style in her shop shipping included (a $20.98 value)! Definitely check them out! You can also pop over to her blog for some great pictures of pups and kitties wearing Lucky Fiona collars!

This contest is only open to those in the continental US at this time (sorry to those of you who are international!). To enter, leave a comment on this post (be sure to include an email address so we can contact you!) Giveaway ends Saturday June 27, 2009 11:59 CST. Check back on Monday June 29th for the winner!

Edit: This giveaway is now closed.

Chicken & Cheddar Dog Treats

1 1/3 c wheat flour
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 c + 1 Tbsp low sodium chicken broth*
1/4 c vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine all ingredients in small bowl. Mix until ingredients combined. Add additional Tablespoons of broth if dough is too dry. Flour work surface. Roll dough to 1/2″ thickness. Cut into desired shape (I used 1-1.5″ hearts).

Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (depending upon size). You want them firm but still a little chewy when you take them out of the oven. Cool and store in airtight container.

* Note: You want to use homemade chicken broth or a store bought variety that does not include onion to be safe. It can be toxic to dogs. Garlic can also be toxic however larger quantities are required to be toxic.

Looking for more dog treats? Try these Natural Pumpkin & Peanut Butter Dog Treats

I plan on making her treats regularly cause she’s worth it! I figured I’d start with something peanut buttery. She loved them! And I didn’t feel too bad giving her a few knowing that they aren’t too bad for her! Next time I want to try making some savory treats using bacon… I’m sure she’ll gobble those up as well!

Natural Pumpkin & Peanut Butter Doggie Treats

2 c whole wheat flour, plus flour for dusting
1/2 c rolled oats
2 eggs
3/4 c canned pumpkin
3 Tbsp natural peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c water

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine all ingredients in stand mixer with paddle attachment. Mix until ingredients combined. Flour work surface. Roll dough to 1/4″ thickness. Cut into 1″ to 1.5″ pieces.

Bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes (depending upon size). You want them firm but still a little chewy.